Connect with us

NASCAR Cup Series

Logano Nets Pole, Seeks Fourth Career Las Vegas Win

When Joey Logano is all smiles, it is usually bad news for the competition. (Photo: Myk Crawford | The Podium Finish)

When Joey Logano is all smiles, it is usually bad news for the competition. (Photo: Myk Crawford | The Podium Finish)

LAS VEGAS – In nearly immediate fashion, Joey Logano is turning Las Vegas Motor Speedway into his stock car house.

Much like Jimmie Johnson with Dover, Jeff Gordon’s mastery of Martinsville and Dale Jarrett at Daytona, Logano seems at home around the 1.5-mile track.

The 32-year-old Middletown, Connecticut native kicked off his Pennzoil 400 race weekend much like he ended his fall Playoffs experience – ranked number one.

After a strong practice outing ranked third overall and seventh in a 10-lap run, Logano wasted little time in qualifying. In both qualifying rounds, the two-time and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion posted the fastest time.

Earning his 27th career pole and second overall at Las Vegas, Logano sang his praises about his team and No. 22 ride.

“Gave me a really fast Pennzoil Mustang that has good speed in it,” Logano said. “Hopefully, that transfers to the race. I think it will. We have some fine-tuning to do in race trim which we will talk about and try to make some adjustments.”

While Logano has short run pace, evident with his qualifying efforts, he considers the big picture for Sunday’s race (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) with perfecting a race trim setup.

Logano rocketed to his first pole of 2023. (Photo: Christopher Vargas | The Podium Finish)

Logano rocketed to his first pole of 2023. (Photo: Christopher Vargas | The Podium Finish)

“You hope you make the right changes and adjustments from the fall when we were here last,” he said. “Obviously, we were pretty good then but you have to keep evolving and trying things.

“It gets a little nerve-wracking when you try to make these changes that you are married to for the most part when practice starts. I think Paul (Wolfe) made some great changes there, some good decisions.”

In recent races, wind has affected Cup races at Las Vegas as evident with last fall’s Playoff races. Turns 2 and 4 have been tricky with competitors especially with making a pass on the inside line.

With the wind gusts causing a bit of a push for those on the bottom lane, Logano appreciates the challenge that this element presents with racing at Las Vegas, especially in the Gen-7 car.

“Where it gets tricky is if you are two-wide with somebody,” he said. “You can imagine how that can go bad quickly. Usually, it is down in the middle of three and four and it is blowing at your left side door.

“That is not where you want wind. It affects the cars a lot. There is not much we can do about it other than just deal with it and have a good enough handling car that you don’t crash when the wind blows.”

In Logano’s case, he has a bit of a leg up on avoiding this tricky adversary with his pole position effort.

However, as he seeks his first win of 2023 and fourth overall at Las Vegas, he has to rely on experience, instincts and some luck on his side.

Vying for his fourth Las Vegas win of his Cup career, the pride of Middletown, Connecticut must channel his best Bob Seger racing against the wind. (Photo: Myk Crawford | The Podium Finish)

Vying for his fourth Las Vegas win of his Cup career, the pride of Middletown, Connecticut must channel his best Bob Seger racing against the wind. (Photo: Myk Crawford | The Podium Finish)

“When you get a big gust of wind as you are turning down into the corner, into the center of the corner, it just blows you up the race track,” he said. “It is like if you get a big gust of wind when you are driving your car down the highway.

“Your car may move a little bit, but we are going really fast and it moves us a little more and it isn’t real comfortable. It gets sketchy. There is no other way of saying it other than you can’t predict it and don’t know when it is coming. One lap you are good, and the next, you are blowing up the race track.”

Rob Tiongson is a 30-something motorsports journalist who enjoys sports like baseball, basketball, football, soccer, track and field and hockey. A Boston native turned Austinite, racing was the first sport that caught his eyes. From interviews to retrospective articles, if it's about anything with an engine and four wheels, it'll be here on TPF, by him or by one of his talented columnists who have a passion for racing. Currently seeking a sports writing, public relations, or sports marketing career, particularly in motorsports. He enjoys editing and writing articles and features, as well as photography. Moreover, he enjoys time with his family and friends, traveling, cooking, working out and being a fun uncle or "funcle" to his nephew, niece and cat. Tiongson, a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, pursues his Master of Arts in Digital Journalism at St. Bonaventure University. Indeed, while Tiongson is proud to be from Massachusetts, he's an everywhere kind of man residing in Texas.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in NASCAR Cup Series